On July 4, 2026, the US will celebrate the semiquincentennial or 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the act that led to the creation of the United States of America. This yearlong commemoration will be marked at the national, state, and local levels, and museums in Kansas are uniquely positioned to help people in our communities learn and reflect during this time.
This page will connect Kansas museums with resources to help you discover existing programming, look for opportunities for collaboration, and think through how your museum wants to engage with the US 250th.
Content will be updated as time allows. To submit your content to be added here please use the Contact Us form and under question topic choose “general” from the dropdown.
US 250 - The Moments That Made Us Free Customizable Exhibit The Moments That Made Us is a free, customizable, print-on-demand exhibition that was developed by History Colorado and a multi-state collaborative team to provide a template for museums in Western states to engage with the US 250th themes and encourage conversations and reflection.To access and use these panels, click on the button below. You will be asked to complete a form and agree to the terms and conditions. When this is done, you will receive an email with access to the exhibition files, installation guide, and other resources.A Kansas content committee is also working on panels for statewide themes which will be made available later - watch the KMA website and your email for more information as they become available. Kansas - Moments that Made Us File Access US 250 Programs Humanities Kansas: Declaration 1776 Traveling ExhibitionThis traveling exhibit from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History will tour 46 different institutions in Kansas in 2026. It focuses on how the Declaration of Independence has inspired Americans and others, and includes a panel on “Kansas” in 1776. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks: Outdoor Recreation ChallengeRegister and log 10 of your favorite ways to spend time outside by July 4, 2026 and receive a certificate of completion. Kansas Volunteer Commission: Volunteer Day of Service on Sept. 11Museums that need volunteers for projects can sign up now to be added to a list of organizations that will be promoted so that people who want to volunteer on the 9/11 Commemoration Day of Service can be connected with volunteer opportunities. State Library of Kansas: Kansas 250 BookshelfThe State Library of Kansas has monthly themed reading lists throughout 2026 with books written by or about Kansans. They also have paired program ideas and partnership suggestions with that month's theme that museums can promote and build from. US 250 Toolkits Humanities Kansas: Declaration Conversations Toolkits – available January 2026Free online kit to help you host your own conversation about the Declaration of Independence, including a PowerPoint, discussion questions, and copies of the Declaration US Chamber of Commerce Foundation: 250th Celebration for Business PlaybookA guide for… “organizations of all sizes [to] plan inclusive, nonpartisan celebrations that educate, engage, and inspire.” Scalable ideas for different capacities and budgets, whether you are looking for year-long programs or a single event. American Association for State and Local History: Making History at 250: The Field Guide for the SemiquincentennialFree guide with themes to connect your museum content with the commemoration American Association for State and Local History: 250th Anniversary Program HandbookFree low-cost program examples for any organization to use American Association for State and Local History: Additional Planning ResourcesClick on the “Planning Resources” Tab for additional resource kits, webinar recordings, technical leaflets, and more. US 250 Grants Rolling Deadline NEH: Celebrate America January 15: NEH: Rediscovering our Revolutionary Tradition US 250 Exhibits Douglas County Heritage Sites - Finding Freedom: The Promise of 1776 in Douglas County, KansasFinding Freedom explores the realities of securing freedom for all people in Kansas. Issues that erupted when Kansas Territory opened to white settlement in 1854 did not end with statehood in 1861, nor with the end of the Civil War four years later. Throughout Douglas County’s history, people have struggled to gain freedom and secure civil rights. Their stories played out in different times and places across our county. These stories continue to unfold today. Finding Freedom will chronicle stories from the 1850s to the 1960s in Baldwin City, Eudora, Lawrence, Lecompton, and the communities of Clinton Lake. Johnson County Museum, Overland Park - Everyday Democracy: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness in Johnson County, February 7, 2026 - January 9, 2027Democracy isn’t only written in founding documents or decided at the ballot box — it’s lived every day. For 250 years, people across the United States have claimed, challenged, and redefined democratic ideals through their choices, voices, and communities. This new exhibition explores how everyday experiences of Johnson Countians have shaped the meaning of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness — and asks what role each of us will play in democracy's future. Smoky Hill Museum, Salina - America's 250th: Connecting a Nation, April 24, 2026 - October 10, 2026From a musket used in the Revolutionary War to local celebrities to a sad iron, see how the Smoky Hill Museum, and museums across America, preserve, protect and share the rich history of American life.
The Moments That Made Us is a free, customizable, print-on-demand exhibition that was developed by History Colorado and a multi-state collaborative team to provide a template for museums in Western states to engage with the US 250th themes and encourage conversations and reflection.
To access and use these panels, click on the button below. You will be asked to complete a form and agree to the terms and conditions. When this is done, you will receive an email with access to the exhibition files, installation guide, and other resources.
A Kansas content committee is also working on panels for statewide themes which will be made available later - watch the KMA website and your email for more information as they become available.
Kansas - Moments that Made Us File Access
Humanities Kansas: Declaration 1776 Traveling Exhibition
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks: Outdoor Recreation Challenge
Kansas Volunteer Commission: Volunteer Day of Service on Sept. 11
State Library of Kansas: Kansas 250 Bookshelf
Humanities Kansas: Declaration Conversations Toolkits – available January 2026
US Chamber of Commerce Foundation: 250th Celebration for Business Playbook
American Association for State and Local History: Making History at 250: The Field Guide for the Semiquincentennial
Free guide with themes to connect your museum content with the commemoration
American Association for State and Local History: 250th Anniversary Program Handbook
American Association for State and Local History: Additional Planning Resources
Rolling Deadline NEH: Celebrate America
January 15: NEH: Rediscovering our Revolutionary Tradition
Douglas County Heritage Sites - Finding Freedom: The Promise of 1776 in Douglas County, Kansas
Finding Freedom explores the realities of securing freedom for all people in Kansas. Issues that erupted when Kansas Territory opened to white settlement in 1854 did not end with statehood in 1861, nor with the end of the Civil War four years later. Throughout Douglas County’s history, people have struggled to gain freedom and secure civil rights. Their stories played out in different times and places across our county. These stories continue to unfold today. Finding Freedom will chronicle stories from the 1850s to the 1960s in Baldwin City, Eudora, Lawrence, Lecompton, and the communities of Clinton Lake.
Johnson County Museum, Overland Park - Everyday Democracy: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness in Johnson County, February 7, 2026 - January 9, 2027
Democracy isn’t only written in founding documents or decided at the ballot box — it’s lived every day. For 250 years, people across the United States have claimed, challenged, and redefined democratic ideals through their choices, voices, and communities. This new exhibition explores how everyday experiences of Johnson Countians have shaped the meaning of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness — and asks what role each of us will play in democracy's future.
Smoky Hill Museum, Salina - America's 250th: Connecting a Nation, April 24, 2026 - October 10, 2026
